Water on a dry track, means for great racing, here Blant Duke drives the water truck through the Pit area
"WILD, WILD, WILD, WILD NIGHT AT WEST GEORGIA SPEEDWAY "
How many of you fans sat down to watch the race Saturday night, or were you all standing and cheering for your favorite driver.
From the Modified Mini race to the pure mini race, there was action everywhere and in every class and feature.
The Modified Mini’s put on their own show, and even though there was no Richard Bagby or Frank Long racing, you still had a fantastic show. And Oxford Georgia was being promoted by the young and super crazy and nice “Huie Stewart”, who is a real driver that knows when to GO and knows when to take it slow.
Huie is a CHAMPIONSHIP driver, and he is a all time winner, except for last weekend where he came in last. This weekend the Oxford Georgia native did not have the lead, but hey friends, he passed all the modified mini cars and he was on his way to another West Georgia Speedway WIN.
When it comes down to crunch time Huie is always there at the end of a race, and like winning and taking the checkered flag.
He did have some competition Saturday night with drivers like #5 Michael Rose and #11 Charles Lancaster.
The fans were cheering loudly as Huie crossed in front of the flag stand to take another win. He told me in a pre-race conversation maybe he wins when there are big races like Tony Stewart does. Whatever until Richard Bagby returns or Frank Long, if Huie is there at the Burg, I know who has the best shot at winning. Some guy from Oxford Georgia named Huie Stewart.
The Modified Mini finish went as follows:
Winning #16 Huie Stewart
2nd place went to #5 Michael Rose
And in 3rd place #11 Charles Lancaster
Then it was time for the
ENDURO Feature
The drivers were back and ready to race, back was long time champion Winford Minnix in his #M4 machine, also back racing was young and talented #55 Steven Parker. I do not believe in seen #12 Gary Brand, and maybe this was because it was a holiday weekend.
All I do know is when the green flag dropped #02 driven by Hoke Duke took the lead; following him was long time East Alabama Champion #A18 of Mike Archer. #M4 Winford Minnix was racing as hard as he could but he had car troubles and that would knock him out of the race, and that was that. So if you thought the race was over forget it, because down in the pit infield next to turn one was a Alabama wild woman, waving a White towel, twisting it and turning it and waving her husband on, who was her husband?
Non other than young Steven Parker, and he finally did what he was going to do 2 weeks ago, and that was drive a smooth race, making sure to stay out of the wrecks and be there at the end of the race to challenge the leaders.
Steven drove an incredible race and he showed why he is up and coming and growing in
his field.
When the race was over, you had a
winner being #02 of Hoke Duke and coming in
2nd place was #A18 of Michael Archer, followed
in 3rd by #55 Steven Parker of Team Twisted Racing.
The Alabama wild woman was Tina Parker the other half of Team Twisted Racing. She
is Stevens’s number 1 pit crew chief.
Then there was
Hoyt Carter in the stands, never seen his son Jeff Carter race but hitched a ride with Jeff's wife Lisa and was there at the track watching his first dirt car race,
he had a favorite driver and
that was his son Jeff Carter in the famous #3 car that would be racing in the Championship race. Who says just young fans come to races, Hoyt is only 76 and he works hard everyday of his life and never misses a days work. He is never late, and always works hard, maybe that is where Jeff Carter gets his strengh.
Family values, and
Fun, that is
why fans young and
old and in between come to West Georgia Speedway, because this is racings complete
historic dirt track, and
where there is dirt there is also plenty of action.
THEN
THE HOBBY CHAMPIONSHIP FEATURE BEGAN
The crowd was ready for this
30 lap feature that had
some of the best of Georgia’s Hobby car drivers lined up. They ranged from the
young gun of #01 Blant Duke to the
Veteran driver of #95 Todd Scarborough, and then you has some
premier drivers like #3 of “Big” Jeff Carter known as “The Magic Man”. If that was not enough to fill the field there was
#31 of Blake Griffin and another
veteran #03 of Buck Williams. Then there was the champion of the early part of the season and he was
#29 Randy Johnson, who won earlier in the year beating Blant Duke in one of West Georgia Speedways best hobby car championship races.
The crowd was standing from the dropping of the green flag to the checkered flag, and everyone was on their feet, I mean this was a Championship race and it was one like you have never seen before.
If you wanted to see beating and banging, this was your race, as cars were being beat on, and some moved and others refused. This was Georgia down in the dirt style racing, hard and intense and no one was giving in.
Jeff Carter was blocking Blant Duke who was beating on Jeff every chance he could, but Carter being the top driver he was not giving in to anything, he was hanging on and that was making Blant mad. Later in the race, Jeff found his car in turn three, and there he had some choice words for Brian Duke, who came over to help him and make
sure he was alright. All my camera could do was focus in on Carter with his big finger stuck in Brian Duke’s face, it was a mess, and then what was worse was seeing Jeff’s new car being pulled around the track by Sammy Duke and his faithful Ford tractor. With Jeff riding on back, it was a scene you don’t see every Saturday night.
When the race resumed again Blake Griffin had the lead and the only cars that were chasing him were drivers like #29 Rusty Johnson, #01 Blant Duke and #95 of Todd Scarborough
Hanging with them were the ever present driver Buck Williams in his #03 car, but causing so many accidents was a driver I call
“Mr. Danger”, #16 James Taylor and his is not a singer.
Also in the race was car #B1 of Clifton Moran, known a “Hog Head”.
The race began and it became another battle with Duke making sure Johnson went into the wall, who was at fault? All I can say it was what I call
HARD racing.
After the 30 laps were run, flying past the flag stand and taking the checkered flag for the Hobby Championship win was #31 Blake Griffin.
Coming in 2nd was #29 Rusty Johnson and #01 Blant Duke 3rd place,
BUT WAIT! ,
a fight between drivers and crews broke out and the tech man, Disqualified Blant Duke as well as Rusty Johnson.
So that gave
2nd place to Todd Scarborough, and guess what
#03 of Buck Williams finished in 3rd place.
CONGRAGULATIONS TO THE 2009 HOBBY CAR CHAMPION #31 BLAKE GRIFFIN, who lead every lap from start to finish,
he is West Georgia Speedways Hobby car TOP GUN for the 2009 season.
NOW IT WAS
CRATE CAR TIMEEveryone was settling down and calming their
nerves after a Hobby feature that had everything, put it this way there was know way the crate race could be better, but wait, could it?.
When the crate cars lined at everyone seemed to know to know that this race would be dramatic. We were about to see some real racing from some of the best Crate car drivers.
The line up had fan favorite
#16 Tony Kemp on the pole and next to him
was young #89 Carey Smith, in row 2 was
#19 Jeremy Hall behind Kemp and
on the inside boxed in was #14 Pete Cochran, and that was not a good sign. Behind all of those crates were
#32 Troy Dixon and the young son of Pete Cochran
#28 Petey Cochran running in a full field of cars.
When the green flag dropped, Smith was in the lead for a brief few minutes until Tony Kemp showed his car was the car to beat, but wait, Kemp and Smith tangled in the corner, both cars would remain in the race, which was great to see.
When the green fell again, racing was like it was supposed to be, pure exciti
ng. Cochran who does not like second place had to battle Kemp hard, this was racing. Then with so much happening Pete’s car slammed into turn 2 and went sideways, and he slowly got out of his car to survey the damage, but there was no more racing left in his car as he had to be towed off the track.
What was wild was the finish, and it was strange in itself.
But
winning and in one of his hardest races was #16 Tony Kemp,
Coming in 2nd place was #32 of Troy 
Dixon and believe it or not finishing
3rd was #28 Petey Cochran, making sure a Cochran finished in the top 3 of drivers.
Congratulations Tony on a battle in this hard fought Crate race.
.Without a break for intermission,
the Sportsman cars came onto the track to line up and everyone was ready to run.
Starting on the pole was #99 Rucker Orr, and
next to him was the pride of Piedmont Alabama, #11 Ryan Law,
followed in line by #13 of Roger Cassell and
also #1 of Ben Hill, I would
never leave out the famous #K17 of Mark Knight or #25 of Scott Duffey.
The race featured other cars, but for now we are sticking with these top drivers.
Ben Hill was looking to pull off an upset and beat Rucker Orr, as was Ryan Law. But when you race at West Georgia Speedway you better bring the best car you have are you are backing up.
When Orr shows up at a track he is always ready to run, when Glenn McWaters showed up, you know we will see some of the best racing in the South. The trouble was Glenn McWaters was not at the track he was enjoying himself with friends and family at Atlanta Motor Speedway, watching those NASCAR guys. I wonder if Glenn ever wanted to race NASCAR. We all know he has the talent, then again Glenn is the king of the dirt tracks and I bet he could even beat Tony Stewart if they raced head to head.
But tonight was not about Glenn McWaters it was about racing hard and getting ready for the Sportsman Championship race coming up a week after the Crate Championship this weekend.
As I said Ryan Law was at the speedway, and he knows it would take a lot to beat Rucker at a track that Orr seems to dominate.
All I can say was when the green flag fell, and the race was on, Orr was leading and it does not take long for 25 laps to pass when you have such fast cars. You think you are in a wild storm of dust, as cars whiz by and everyone takes deep breaths when cars even slightly go sideways, you hang on and watch, and wonder who is going to win.
Then you see the flag man waving the checkered flag and the race is over, and who is your winner? On this August 5th 2009 night at West Georgia Speedway
your winner was again car #99 of Rucker Orr
Finishing
2nd was #11 Ryan Law
And in
3rd place was #13 of Roger Cassell.
You think the night is over for Rucker Orr , NO WAY, as he was protested by #11 Ryan Law, and after hours and hours Law walked away
$600 poorer than he was at the start because everything in
Orr’s engine was legal, and Orr was a little happier collecting the winners cash and also the protest money, Law was infuriated.
Then it was time to run
the Pure Mini cars a class of their own style.
Starting on the pol
e was
#55 Mary Lee Chapman, next to her
#D7 of Brandon Bright, when the green flag flew it was like someone had turned on the water and everyone was racing except for Mary Lee who was backsliding her way to the back of the pack of cars, it was great that no one was in a wreck because this could have been serious.
Car #77 a blue car, the driver is unknown to myself at this time was hitting everything that could move and he was a drivers nightmare, ask #21 Randy Brady Sr. who would take a wild spin that would put him out of the race.
Also having trouble was #88 of Rocky Johnson who was having his own problems.
But when the checkered waved, finishing first was #D7 Brandon BrightIn
2nd place was #M1 Wayne Bridges
And in 3rd place #16 Eran LancasterAll I can say is
I can’t wait till Saturday night for the Crate Car championship lets see if the big guns return.
Thanks to everyone,
Tino Patti
A Freelance Photographer/Video Journalist
With a world wide blog following
Check out my other Blogs at:
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ou like, want to cheat, this is your night and guess what NO ONE will say anything about it, this is the drivers dream night.
ou like, want to cheat, this is your night and guess what NO ONE will say anything about it, this is the drivers dream night.
